Maybe I should have called this mostly monarchs. It is not all photos (of monarchs) taken at the track but it’s not far off. Things change around town and a spot with flowers that attracted admirals a few years ago cannot be relied upon to produce the same this year. Our clouded yellow venue from last year is fairly redundant this year, as far as I can tell. Although a loss, it forces us to look elsewhere and just as we thought we had all the premier venues in town nailed we find a couple of parkland areas we had previously not bothered with. Thanks to Helen flagging up Parque Taoro and Parque Sortija. Where the posh folk walk their dogs!
our hotel, the triangle, centre, filtered
remember when you had to de-saturise your photos and then crank them?
Firstly, the trip up to C. Luis Rodriguez Figueroa to find no clouded yellows. I did catch a kestrel with a lizard for dinner. I’m guessing lizards fill the menu here the way mice and shrews do back home. I think the management of the ‘weeds’ and small flowering plants seems to make the difference for the butterfly populations. Two nearby areas were also devoid of the coppers, blues and painted ladies here last year. Presumably the butterflies are nearby on the next best source of whatever they need.
lizard for dinner
I returned ‘home’ via the barranco where another kestrel was patrolling
leaving shadows on the high concrete walls of the gorge.
just a short distance away from a decent photo!
this geranium bronze was enjoying some of its titular foodplants
(aptly outside a restaurant) on the way down the road
another female Blue Emperor
millipede
broad scarlet
pair of egrets at the track
flowering cactus at the track
this flower only lasted about 24hrs before wilting
female broad scarlet
male broad scarlet
I was pleased with these three photos of broad scarlet males which seem to have about the right amount in sharp focus while the background texture is there but suitably blurred out. I suspect it is the quality of light rather than the camera settings that makes the difference.
the invisible bell ringing group
I was impressed these hammer-throwers spent 2 hrs practising at the net in the centre of the track. I know it was 2hrs because I was keeping out their way while they rehearsed.
broad scarlet, face on
red-veined darter female
not sure what sort of cutie this is but I like it a lot!
Obsidentify says Gonia spec.
some pigeons catching my eye from the track
red-veined darter (f)
broad scarlet (f)
monarch
African grass blue
with open wings
I was thinking while wandering round all these succulents and wee cactus plants how much my mum would have loved this place. She had a greenhouse full of these types of plants but I suspect never saw them growing outside in their natural habitat. I know they take a lot of watering (here, where there is not much rainfall) and it is really impressive to see the track and surrounding area so lovingly cared for by a handful of folk. Every year there are more plants and flowers and as a result more butterflies. This year clouded yellows (including a helice form) almost became commonplace (before disappearing!) and a plain tiger was seen and photographed on several occasions.
I really like the lizards. Probably because we don’t get many in the Lothians. They enjoy sunflower seeds although this year they have seemed more wary. Perhaps because of the egrets patrolling their world and no doubt eating any lizards slow to take cover. However, after they hear the rattle of the seed bag and are showered with dinner from above they scamper about in an excited frenzy, occasionally bumping into each other or fighting over a seed when they will produce a tiny noise like a miniature squeaky toy being squeezed. I don’t think they vocalise otherwise.
geranium bronze at the track
broad scarlet
smoke tree
there are hundreds of these annoying moths all over,
generally I’ll photo one and then ignore the rest
Spoladea recurvalis
Apparently 5-10% of female clouded yellows are the Helice variant, a lighter yellow and nearly white colourways, as here. It is the first one I’ve photo-ed and while a novelty, I prefer the aesthetic of the normal yellow ones. It was a right pain to photo taking off. Once it had stopped (always on the ground, never a pretty flower) it would sit forever before finally taking off, all the time me with my finger growing weary on the shutter release.
clouded yellow helice var.
bee at rest
Podalonia tydei (?)
I followed this monarch around as it nectared on poinsettia. I set the pre-burst mode for capturing in-flight pics and enjoyed the bright colours of the plant bracts as well as the fine butterfly colours. I took dozens of photos knowing if I take enough I’ll possibly get lucky and something striking will occur that I couldn’t have anticipated. I like the above photo a lot and I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t make the top 5 of the trip. Happily there are lots to choose from so far (although no really exotic species or magical unexpected encounters as yet.) But plenty photos taken.
I had to swap SD cards. Not because I had filled one; but here on holiday I review the day’s pics on my iPad via wifi connection. Every day to look at the photos I’ve just taken I have to scroll through every photo on the SD card so far (which I don’t wipe daily as usual because I will archive them only when we get home) Which was 5000 images and videos on the first SD card after 2 weeks. This was such a laborious chore to wade through that I started a new card so I only have to scroll through a few hundred before reaching the new images. Also it stops me formatting the card out of habit which I do after I have looked at the day’s photos at home.
Also I won’t be editing or putting up any video until I get home. I have shot quite a bit but my iPad does not download them and only plays a very jumpy and third rate imitation of them. Not sure why this is. Different formats probably. I’m sure modern iEquipment does it properly but I already cart more than enough tech abroad without investing any further. I have been having a few tech problems but nothing disastrous. My biggest fear was forgetting one of about 6 charging cables. We spent quite a bit of one recent holiday going round electronic shops trying to get a battery charger for Mary’s camera battery.
My Suunto gps watch has taken a funny turn. I think there was a software update (I wish they wouldn’t, or if they really have to, then get it right) and now the watchface I chose has been binned and there is an ugly one in its place. I would have not spent £300 on a watch with an ugly face so I think it is fking shoddy to pull that stunt a year into having it. I should be able to download 9 different watchface designs and flip between them but unless I am misreading the situation I only have the one to chose from and it is fugly. On the upside it still works which is not always the case after a software update from what I read on forums. First world problems indeed.
thyreus spec.
cattle egret
frangipani
phaneroptera spec.
batman hoverfly
there have been fewer hoverflies here than in Scotland, in summertime
cattle egret
long green hopper
to date this is the best dragonfly so far this trip (of the smaller red jobs)
a red-veined dropwing - not to be confused with red-veined darters
It was just a bit more pretty and delicate and the red veins on its wings which it tends to hold forward and downward hence the name, are spectacular. I tried to encourage it towards something prettier to sit on but it was happier on low ground or at best a stone. I hope to see more before I leave but this has been the only one so far.
another African grass blue
I had trouble seeing the other three small blue butterflies this year
or caring.
this is reckoned (by Obsidentify) to be a European bee wolf
If you wonder what they do to get the name, wonder no more…
Now I’d like to think it was just helping a tired bee get home
but I suspect that hug is not an entirely platonic one.
Southern green stink bugs showing a little more love
(always on the pomegranate)
AGB on almost illuminated flower
painted lady
Canarian chiffchaff
tamarind
on the balcony the larger white dove is stating his intentions
to the original balcony pigeon in the manner of bullies everywhere 😭
next day: Mary in the zone at the the track
We did do running at the track as well. I prob have some shots on the DJI Pocket that I should be introducing here. Only I’ve already had to cut down from 230 images to 180. (You can get too much of a good thing.) Which I suppose means I have been taking tons of pics. Which means I have been as a pig in shit. It has been good. As I said last year the three weeks away (rather than one or two) means you feel there isn’t a rush to go places and do tourism. Instead we tend to explore locally and if the weather is fine maybe go further afield. However Mary hasn’t been fit for arduous climbing/descent. Running is best done before 10am. We arrived on a Weds so we did the first parkrun Saturday with Colin and Joan and Nick and Lou.
The following week the Lomies contingent featuring Laurie and June were away at a race and so the parkrun was done by just Mary and I. Proud to say both of us improved on the first week time. I went 2 mins quicker which I thought was quite an improvement but it looks to have been a fluke as this week (today - Saturday 13th) I only improved on that time by 20-odd seconds.While this is less of a chunk of time I was pleased to note the third mile was the fastest of the three. I started out with a 7.11 then slowed to a 7.19 before picking up the pace and doing 7.09 for the third mile then hammering out the extra tenth at 6.23 pace. I certainly didn’t feel that was possible at the time but I was defo cheering up as I knew there were fewer and fewer laps to go. And I thought sub22 was feasible if I really pushed it. The actual stats say it was 22.12 for 3.08miles which is odd as I ran the same 12.5 laps as last time. Maybe the Suunto was just being an arse again. It likes to change things up and keep me annoyed when it can.
what? more pics of monarchs taking off?
oh go on then!
more pigeon flights of fancy
more houses on the western promintory
more green hoppers with l-o-n-g antennae
the guy who looks after the pigeons across the way
Lomies at the track
I knew Laurie (but not June) from way back when I was a hillrunner. He and I were in a similar age group so regarded each other as the competition. A friendly rivalry. However injury problems have greatly reduced Laurie’s capacities. But not his enthusiasm. After spending a week on the South part of Tenerife they moved up to Puerto to meet up with Colin and Joan and to run the hilly trail race near La Laguna they do most years. To celebrate Colin’s birthday the 6 of us went to the Indian Express. Scots in Tenerife doing Indian food. It was a very jolly evening and the food and company were great. Some managed to avoid excesses and were sensible enough to go home for a nice cuppa tea, while others (un-named) went back to their hotel for hard liquor!
red-veined darter (f)
berthelot’s pipits
Lomies at the track
Sceliphron spirifex - fascinating insect (quite large) with body/head
joined by a short length of yellow plastic tubing!
Gallotia lizard: as they get older and larger
the blue and yellow colours become more pronounced
kestrel back on the flagpole at the track
and on their favourite perch up the back of the track
more broad scarlet males
and females
and RVDs
monarch caterpillar
There was a bush near the track ‘garden’ where a monarch butterfly kept landing. The leaves of this small insubstantial shrub were badly eaten and I wondered what had been doing the damage. I was pleased to notice monarch caterpillars. I was surprised how small they were (given the size of the imagos) and also how difficult to see among the foliage, despite them wearing brightly coloured black, yellow and white striped pyjamas. Within a few days they had greatly increased in size and eaten every leaf on the small bush. I lost sight of where they went after that. Presumably they moved off to find another source of food.
During one track photography session there wasn’t much about and I was looking more closely at the plants to see if there was anything on or around the leaves. It was then I noticed a large number of shieldbugs (stink bugs in the US). This was one of the few occasions I used the macro lens. Otherwise I used the 100-400mm zoom exclusively, which was just fantastic for the birds and butterflies that like to keep a respectable distance from the paparazzi. Nice to get the macro lens out though - it is lighter and gives detail unseen with the naked eye.
green shieldbugs
Southern green stink bug and green shieldbug
This (above) was the plant the monarch caterpillars were on. I took a photo of it before it was completely stripped of leaves. I was hoping obsidentify could ID it, but it wasn’t able to recognise it. I did wonder was it milkweed (monarch foodplant) or something similar. I was intrigued the adult monarch was drawn to returning to this and I did wonder if there was any kind of telepathic or otherwise communications from the adult to the offspring by way of encouragement. Of course there is no way to measure this. Maybe they are just drawn to that plant because they spent their childhood on it and have fond memories.
plant abstract
While I had the macro lens on I went over to the poinsettia to look for the long green hoppers with giant antennae. I managed to find one or 2 who didn’t mind me putting the camera right in their faces for some detailed close-ups. Aren’t they fantastic?! The red backdrop (should that be bract-drop) really makes them pop!
flower spider
head on the right hand side eating leaf
The monarch caterpillars have antennae-like aerials coming out either end. Presumably this is to fool predators who might attack the back end hoping it is the front end. Although this probably isn’t foolproof it might give a small advantage. The front end btw is the larger of the two. Easier to identify when you a see a video of it eating a leaf.
a rarity this year - the Canary red admiral
Vanessa vulcania
We saw a couple of them after Helen flagged up Taoro Parque, a tree and shrub grassland although almost entirely on a steep terraced slope heading up the back of town. A tarmac road and cinder pedestrian path weave zigzags up a steep hill through trees and bouganvillea as the views get better and better out over the city. At the top (after the terrace cafe) you go another 200 yards to find Parque Sortija where the posh people walk their handbag dogs. To be fair there are a variety of dogwalkers but it is quite upmarket and the hotels and houses are larger and more swish. There’s also an Anglican church and cemetery, or rather a row of memorial plaques. Oh and a memorial to the awful plane crash in 1980. It is worth a wander. We saw a brimstone zoom by (no photos) and I got the best emperor dragonfly photos of one on a drago tree. I had high hopes for the small neatly contained pond but the only dragonflies were scarlet darters (or similar).
weird icon photos outside folk’s houses
A delight on the climb up to Taoro Parque were three brown rats. They were shy but excellent rock climbers - two of them shot up a nearly vertical wall of large boulders with great skill. They appeared to be in excellent health.
I can’t remember if this sequence of monarch shots was taken at the track or at Taoro parque. The colours are very successful - on what I suspect Obsidentify calls a smoke tree.
small copper
mating small whites
back at the track these hungry hungry caterpillars
are demolishing the bush on which they live
there were more Canarian speckled woods than I took photos of,
mainly because they didn’t always behave or pose well
this was at the track
although we saw them at Taoro Parque as well
A small blue butterfly that wasn’t an African grass blue!
this is a Canary Blue and I saw very few of them
pleased to get this shot of the adult monarch
perched above the caterpillar form of same
are they communicating?
very smart small copper at the track
but no amount of persuasion could get it to sit on a flower
lastly a monarch!
This one likes to sit on the cactus at the entrance.
I just realised I hadn’t included a wide photo of the sports track. The Alf Tupper track as Colin calls it. Here is one taken from a while later when there was an invasion of mobile homes. I don’t know what the occasion was but normally there are no vehicles allowed into the area - there is a padlocked chain across the entrance. I doubt the hammer throwers were pleased - you’d have to be fairly confident to give it a shot right down the centre over the tops of the vans!
